An Evolutionary Journey through Domestication

Date: 

Thursday, October 10, 2019, 6:00pm

Location: 

Geological Lecture Hall, 24 Oxford St., Cambridge

As the earliest farmers began to select wild plants and animals that had desirable traits, they initiated a series of genetic changes in these species that gradually made them more suitable for agriculture. Plants became easier to grow, had greater yields, and were of higher quality. Animal species exhibited favorable changes in behavior, coat color, and reproductive traits. Barbara Schaal will discuss how the artificial selection of these species—a pivotal technological achievement—has influenced their genetics, evolution, and capacity to flourish in the care of humans.

Lecture delivered by: Barbara Schaal, Mary-Dell Chilton Distinguished Professor of Biology and Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis.

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